Map of the refuge, which is included in their brochure.
My contributions to this project included somewhat of a redesign to the original design. The original design included a 1,200 square foot addition to the visitor center and a new parking lot layout which followed MDE guidelines for stormwater treatment.
The "redesign" was necessary because of a wye oak tree which was planted after completion of the original design and could not be relocated There was also a benchmark that needed to be designed around which was not originally accomodated for.
The most challenging part of making the layout work was trying to keep intact the stormwater treatment layout. Because the entire site is on type D soils, some nonconventional treatment methods were proposed such as gravel wetlands and rooftop disconnects. In the end we were able to slightly adjust the location of some of these stormwater treatment facilities and also accomodate the benchmark by shifting the entrance to the parking lot.
Aerial photograph of the visitor center before construction. (Google Earth)
Aerial photograph after construction (Google Earth)
If you'd like more information about the refuge, visit their website here.